Oligonucleotides used for detecting vibrio parahaemolyticus and method of detection therewith

ABSTRACT

An oligonucleotide is provided which has a nucleotide sequence derived from SEQ ID NO:1, characterized in that it contains at least one site capable of amplifying a nucleotide sequence characteristic of Vibrio parahaemolyticus. The oligonucleotide may have a nucleotide sequence not derived from SEQ ID NO:3, or incapable of amplifying nucleotide sequences originating in Vibrio alginolyticus and Vibrio harveyi, and may be represented by SEQ ID NO:5 or SEQ ID NO:6. A method of detecting Vibrio parahaemolyticus in a specimen is also provided which comprises preparing a primer set comprising two of the above oligonucleotides, selectively amplifying therewith a DNA gyrase subunit B gene sequence contained in the specimen as a target, and determining whether or not there is a gyrB unit specific for Vibrio parahaemolyticus in the specimen. Also provided is a primer which reacts specifically with a gyrB gene of Vibrio parahaemolyticus to thereby differentiate and identify the same among other Vibrios and strains other than the genus Vibrio. The Vibrio parahaemolyticus-specific primer serves to detect 285-bp gyrB gene fragments specific for this Vibrio by the PCR method without the necessity for DNA extraction or like operations from bacterial cells.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to oligonucleotide primers for amplification of the target nucleotide sequence characteristic of Vibrio parahaemolyticus (abbreviated as "VP" somewhere hereinafter). This invention relates to the method for detecting Vibrio parahaemolyticus based on the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using a primer specific for the DNA gyrase sub-unit B gene (Nucleotide sequence of DNA gyrase B subunit, abbreviated as "gyrB" hereinafter).

PRIOR ART

Vibrio parahaemolyticus is known to cause food poisoning in many countries. It is found not only in the intestine but also in other organs and in the postoperative wound. Vibrio parahaemolyticus is a Gram negative, polymorphic, bacilliform, halophilic, facultative anaerobe, which ferments carbohydrate to generate gas. It forms green colonies on thiosulfate-citrate-bile-sucrose (TCBS) agar.

For detection of Vibrio parahaemolyticus, is used usually a method where the specimen is cultivated in an enrichment medium followed by isolation by the selective plate culture. The conventional method of detection requires one week, and therefore a more rapid method has been desired.

The fluorescence assay based on determination of trypsin activity can detect rapidly Vibrio parahaemolyticus but cannot differentiate Vibrio parahaemolyticus from Vibrio alginolyticus or Vibrio harveyi. The conventional methods for identification of Vibrio parahaemolyticus and Vibrio alginolyticus are time-consuming because the 16S rRNA sequence reveals homology of 99.7% between Vibrio parahaemolyticus and Vibrio alginolyticus.

The genus Vibrio includes 37 different species, all of which are derived from aquatic environment. Based on the systematic data of rRNA, species known as V. angullarum, V. ordalli, and V. damsels have been newly classified as Listonella or Photobacterium. Ten species are involved in gastroenteritis, infection of the wound, and human septicemia, while 7 species are known to be pathogens for fish. Vibrio parahaemolyticus occurs usually in an environment such as river-mouth and sea, being isolated from sea water and fishes and shellfishes often in summer.

For isolation and identification of Vibrio parahaemolyticus, the specimen is inoculated into a selective medium such as the bromothymolblue-teepol agar medium or TCBS agar medium, followed by isolation of bluish green colonies and examinations for the biochemical properties of the colonies. Unfortunately many Vibrio species show the same responses, and thus more detailed biochemical examinations are required for reliable identification. Examinations for a variety of biochemical properties on many isolates are time-consuming and laborious. Serological identification of Vibrio parahaemolyticus shows a cross reaction with other Vibrio species.

A method for identification of a Vibrio species was developed which used I)NA. In this method were used DNA probes capable of amplifying the cholera toxin operon from V. cholera 01 to identify specifically the bacterium. These probes cross-react with Vibrio species other than cholera toxin-producing V. cholera. A method for identification of V. vulnificus has been developed in which hybridization is carried out on a membrane filter by using a fluorescent-labeled oligonucleotide probe (Wright, A. C. et al., Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 59: 541-546, 1993).

In addition, the oligonucleotide DNA probe was constructed from a portion of the cytolysin gene (hlyA) sequence of V. vulnificus and labeled through the covalent bond. These probes do not react with non-toxinogenic V. vulnificus and therefore do not detect all strains of V. vulnificus.

Similarly, other molecular biologic methods using the toxic factor (TDH, TRH) genes as the target can detect toxinogenic V. parahaemolyticus, though based on the toxic factor, all strains of V. parahaemolyticus cannot be detected.

DISCLOSUR OF THE INVENTION

The object of this invention is to provide a method for differentiation of Vibrio parahaemolyticus from other 36 Vibrio species.

The object of this invention is to provide a method for detection of the 285-bp gyrB gene fragments specific for Vibrio parahaemolyticus by the PCR method without the necessity for DNA extraction or like operations from bacterial cells by use of Vibrio parahaemolyticus-specific primers.

Because this invention provides oligonucleotide probes useful for PCR, this invention relates to oligonucleotide primers for amplification of the target nucleotide sequence characteristic of Vibrio parahaemolyticus. The primers are exemplified by SEQ ID NO:5 and SEQ ID NO:6, which are used as a primer set for detection of the target nucleotide sequence characteristic of Vibrio parahaemolyticus.

The primer set is used in the method for determining whether or not there is the target nucleotide sequence characteristic of Vibrio parahaemolyticus. A Vibrio parahaemolyticus-specific primer is capable of detecting a Vibrio parahaemolyticus-specific gyrB gene fragment by the PCR method.

In this invention "primer" means an oligonucleotide which is produced synthetically or biologically and includes a specific nucleotide sequence which permits hybridization to a section containing the target nucleotide sequence.

A primer is capable of replicating a full target nucleotide sequence by synthesis by extension in the presence of polymerase or an analogous enzyme.

A primer is used in the method for amplification of nucleotide sequence, such as PCR and sequence displacement amplification (SDA) A particular primer, especially those useful for SDA technology, contains not only the sequence capable of hybridization to the target nucleic acid, but also a recognition sequence for restriction endonuclease and an arbitrary sequence which allows polymerase or another enzyme continuing polymerase-like activity to direct itself to initiate the synthesis of the template-specific oligonucleotide.

In this invention, "hybridization" means a process where, under pre-determined reaction conditions, partially or completely complementary nucleic acid chains, standing opposite to each other in an anti-parallel way, form a two-strand nucleic acid through specific and stable hydrogen bonds.

As described above, this invention relates to oligonucleotide primers useful for determination of the presence or absence of the target nucleotide sequence that is specific for Vibrio parahaemolyticus.

The procedures used for such determination include not only the PCR-based gene amplification procedure, but also Southern hybridization, a prior art, wherein the primer is used as a probe.

The primer in this invention is specific for the gyrB subunit gene sequence of Vibrio parahaemolyticus. The probe is specific for the internal consensus sequence in the primer amplification product.

The inventors have studied a method using the gyrB gene encoding the B subunit protein of DNA gyrase (topoisomerase II ) as a highly specific probe, to solve the problems in the prior art described above.

A method has been reported recently for detection and taxonomic analysis of Pseudomonas putida with a universal primer with which the gyrB gene was sequenced directly. Such universal primers were used for PCR-based amplification of the gyrB gene fragments of various Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. The inventors used these existing primers to amplify the 1.2-kb gyrB fragments of 37 Vibrio species. The gyrB base sequence of Vibrio parahaemolyticus ATCC17802 and that of Vibrio alginolyticus ATCC17749 (abbreviated as `VA` somewhere hereinafter) have been shown.

In addition, the inventors prepared PCR primers capable of amplifying and identifying only the gyrB gene of Vibrio parahaemolyticus. The sensitivity of these Vibrio parahaemolyticus-specific primers was investigated with 118 Vibrio parahaemolyticus strains, 20 Vibrio alginolyticus strains, and other 78 strains.

Yamamoto and Harayama (Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 61: 1104-1109, 1995) and others prepared PCR primers capable of amplifying the gyrB gene from two conserved regions of the amino acid sequences of the DNA gyrase subunit B proteins. These primers were used for amplification of the about 1.2-kb gyrB gene fragments from various bacteria.

The gyrB gene fragment amplified from Vibrio parahaemolyticus ATCC17802 and that from Vibrio alginolyticus AATCC17749 were cloned by using a suitable vector according to the conventional method of recombination (Sambrook et al., Molecular cloning: a laboratory manual, 2^(nd) ed., Cold Spring harbour Laboratory Press, Cold Spring Harbour, N.Y. 1989).

Desirable vectors include pGEMzf(+), and any common vector may be used.

The 1.2 kb gyrB gene fragment from Vibrio parahaemolyticus cloned with pGEMzf(+) is called a plasmid pVPgyrB, and that from Vibrio alginolyticus a plasmid pVAgyrB.

The probe is amplified also with a conventional method (Sambrook et al., 1989). For example, a plasmid is inserted into the vector for transformation of Escherichia coli with an effective mean such as calcium chloride. Transformed cells are cultivated under appropriate conditions.

The target genes are collected after lysis of bacterial cells, and purified by the alkali method or the like. Purified plasmid is used as the specimen.

The PCR method was tried for detection and differentiation of Vibrio parahaemolyticus from other Vibrio species including Vibrio alginolyticus. This method is capable of amplifying a sequence homologous with the probe, practically increasing the sensitivity.

According to the base sequence of the probe, the synthesized oligonucleotide primer amplifies DNA only when the target base sequence is present in the specimen. Not only the sensitivity is enhanced but also an absolute specificity can be attained by using an oligonulcleotide having specificity based on the base sequence of the DNA probe.

For preparation of effective primers, the base sequence of pVPgyrB and that of pVAgyrB were determined with the DNA sequencer according to the conventional method.

For determination of the base sequence of gyrB, the base sequence of the N-terminal and C-terminal regions of the amplified fragment was also determined by using UP-1S and UP-2Sr primers (Yamamoto and Harayama, Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 61: 1104-1109, 1995). For extension of the determined base sequence, an additional primer was prepared from the base sequence determined by using UP-1S. The length of the whole base sequence of the amplified fragment is 1258 bp, and the sequence is shown in SEQ ID NO:1 (pVPgyrB) and SEQ ID NO:3 (pVAgyrB). The amino acid sequence encoded by SEQ ID NO:1 and that encoded by SEQ ID NO:3 are shown in SEQ ID NO:2 and SEQ ID NO:4, respectively.

With this information of the base sequence, 21-bp primers were prepared that can detect and identify Vibrio parahaemolyticus from other bacteria. These primers contain SEQ ID NO:5 and SEQ ID NO:6, being usable as a primer set.

These novel primers are useful in the existing assay method using PCR (Saiki et al., Science 239: 487-491, 1988). These primers are used for amplification of the target DNA in a specimen, making the amount of DNA sufficient for detection. Following the amplification step, the step of detection may be performed by any method as far as it is effective for detection of DNA, for example, by electrophoresis on agarose gel.

The target DNA functions as the template. Amplification of the template DNA in the specimen is effected by treatment of the primer pair with a duplex DNA. This treatment results in extension of the sequence complementary to each nucleotide sequence. The resultant sequence functions as the template of the primer. The treatment process comprises denaturation of I)NA, annealing to a sequence complementary to the primer, and extension of the primer with DNA polymerase (e.g. Taq polymerase), and is repeated until DNA has been produced in an amount sufficient for detection of the target sequence. The conditions of the amplification based on PCR are summarized in the Example 3 below.

Following amplification, the amplified sequence is detected by electrophoresis on agarose gel. The primer pair [VP1 (SEQ ID NO:5), VP2 (SEQ ID NO:6)] amplifies the 285-bp when the gyrB gene sequence is used as the target.

The 285-bp DNA was amplified for 37 Vibrio strains obtained from ATCC, JCM, CDC, and NCIMB collections. The chromosomal DNA preparations from these bacteria were obtained according to the conventional method (Sambrook et al., Molecular cloning: a laboratory manual, 2^(nd) ed., Cold Spring Harbour Laboratory Press, Cold Spring Harbour, N.Y., 1989). The target DNA, 1 μg, was subjected to PCR. The 285-bp specific band was found only in the preparation from Vibrio parahaemolyticus, while it was not detected in any preparation from other species (Table 1). However the PCR-based amplification using the primer set (UP-1, UP-2r) according to Yamamoto and Harayama (1995) detected 1.2-kb gyrB fragment, and thus could confirm the presence of the DNA gyrase B subunit. Based on these findings, it is concluded that the primers of this invention are Vibrio parahaemolyticus-specific and usable for detection of the pathogen.

This invention relates to the oligonucleotides characterized in that they have the nucleotide sequence derived from Sequence No.1 and include at least one site capable of amplifying the Vibrio parahaemolyticus-specific nucleotide sequence. This invention relates to the oligonucleotides characterized in that they have the nucleotide sequence derived from SEQ ID NO:1 but not from SEQ ID NO:3 and include at least one site capable of amplifying the Vibrio parahaemolyticus-specific nucleotide sequence.

                  TABLE 1                                                          ______________________________________                                                       Strain   PCR results of gyrB                                     S.no.                                                                               Microbes       Number     1.2-kb 285bp                                    ______________________________________                                         1    Vibrio aestuarianus                                                                           ATCC35048  +      -                                          2 Vibrio albensis ATCC14547 + -                                                3 Vibrio alginolyticus ATCC17749 + -                                           4 Vibrio canipbelli ATCC25920 + -                                              5 Vibrio carchariae ATCC35084 + -                                              6 Vibrio cholerae 01 P1418 + -                                                 7 Vibrio choleraenon 01 NR + -                                                 8 Vibrio cincinnatiensis ATCC35912 + -                                         9 Vibrio costicola ATCC33508 + -                                               1o Vibrio diazotrophicus ATCC33466 + -                                         11 Vibrio fischeri ATCC 7744 + -                                               12 Vibrio fluvialis JCM3752 + -                                                13 Vibrio furnissii ATCC35016 + -                                              14 Vibrio gazogenes ATCC29988 + -                                              15 Vibrio harveyi ATCC14126 + -                                                16 Vibrio hollisae CDC75-80 + -                                                17 Vibrio logei ATCC29985 + -                                                  18 Vibrio marinus ATCC15381 + -                                                19 Vibrio mediterranei ATCC43341 + -                                           20 Vibrio metschnikovii ATCC 7708 + -                                          21 Vibrio mimicus CNS9582 + -                                                  22 Vibrio mytili NCIMB13275 + -                                                23 Vibrio natriegens ATCC14048 + -                                             24 Vibrio navarrensis NCIMB13120 + -                                           25 Vibrio nereis ATCC25917 + -                                                 26 Vibrio nigripulchritudo ATCC27043 + -                                       27 Vibrio ordalii ATCC33509 + -                                                28 Vibrio orientalis ATCC33934 + -                                             29 Vibrio parahaemolyticus ATCC17802 + +                                       30 Vibrio proteolyticus ATCC15338 + -                                          31 Vibrio salmonicida ATCC43839 + -                                            32 Vibrio splendidus ATCC33125 + -                                             33 Vibrio tubiashii ATCC19109 + -                                              34 Vibrio vulnificus ATCC 2046 + -                                             35 Listonella anguillarum ATCC19264 + -                                        36 Listonella pelagia ATCC25916 + -                                            37 Photohacterium damsela ATCC33539 + -                                      ______________________________________                                    

ATCC: American Type Culture Collection

JCM: Japan Collections of Microrganisms

NCIMB: National Collections of Industrial and Marine Bacteria

CDC: Centre for Disease Control

The symbols other than those described above refer to the strain names.

Also the standard strains of genera Aeromonas, Alteromonas, Marinomonas, Shigella, Shewanella, Salmonella, Escherichia and Staphylococcus aureus were examined for the presence of gyrB and the Vibrio parahaemolyticus-specific 285-bp. As shown in Table 2, gyrB was found to be present in all of the strains though the Vibrio parahaemolyticus-specific 285-bp amplification was found in none of the strains.

                  TABLE 2                                                          ______________________________________                                                        Strain   PCR results of gyrB                                    S.no.                                                                               Microbes        number     1.2-kb                                                                               285bp                                    ______________________________________                                         1    Alteromonas atlantica                                                                          ATCC19262  +     -                                          2 Alteromonas ATCC43555 + -                                                     carrogeenovara                                                                3 Alteromonas citrea ATCC29719 + -                                             4 Alteromonas espejiana ATCC29659 + -                                          5 Alteromonas haloplanktis ATCC14393 + -                                       6 Alteromonas luteoviolaceae ATCC33492 + -                                     7 Alteromonas macleodii ATCC27126 + -                                          8 Alteromonas tetraodonis NCIMB13177 + -                                       9 Alteromonas undina ATCC29660 + -                                             10 Marinomonas communis ATCC27118 + -                                          11 Marinomonas vaga ATCC27119 + -                                              12 Aeromonas hydrophila ATCC19570 + -                                          13 Esherichia coli ATCC25922 + -                                               14 Salmonella typhimurium ATCC13311 + -                                        15 Shewanella putrefaciens ATCC 8071 + -                                       16 Shigella dysenteriae ATCC13313 + -                                          17 Shigella sonneii ATCC29930 + -                                              18 Staphylococcus aureus ATCC12600 + -                                       ______________________________________                                    

Various phenotypes, serotypes, and toxinogenic types have been reported for Vibrio parahaemolyticus. A probe specific for the thermostable hemolysin, a toxin produced by Vibrio parahaemolyticus, has been reported (Nishibuchi et al., FEMS Microbiol. Lett. 55: 251-256, 1990). Such toxin-specific probes are clinically important, though they cannot detect all types of Vibrio parahaemolyticus. For prevention of contamination of food with Vibrio parahaemolyticus, it is essential to detect all types of Vibrio parahaemolyticus in food or in the environment. Then Vibrio parahaemolyticus strains isolated from food, water, soil, and other materials were investigated for their phenotypes, serotypes, and the toxicity. All of the 118 Vibrio parahaemolyticus strains were subjected to PCR using the primers VP1 and VP2. It was evident that the 285-bp had been amplified.

The results are summarized in Table 3. The strains shown in Table 3 are those isolated from and identified in food, soil, water or feces, some of which were kindly given by Prof. Shinoda, Okayama University, and Prof. Yamamoto, Kyushu University. As shown in Table 3, amplification of the 285-bp was not observed in any of the 20 strains of Vibrio alginolyticus also isolated from various materials.

This invention relates to oligonucleotides characterized in that they have the nucleotide sequence obtained from SEQ ID NO:1, contain at least one site capable of amplifying the nucleotide sequence characteristic of Vibrio parahaemolyticus, and cannot amplify the nucleotide sequence derived from Vibrio alginolyticus or Vibrio harvei.

This invention relates to oligonucleotides characterized in that they have the nucleotide sequence obtained from SEQ ID NO:1 but not from SEQ ID NO:3, contain at least one site capable of amplifying the nucleotide sequence characteristic of Vibrio parahaemolyticus, and cannot amplify the nucleotide sequence derived from Vibrio alginolyticus or Vibrio harvei.

                  TABLE 3                                                          ______________________________________                                                                        Kanagawa                                          S.no. Name Strain no. phenomenon PCR                                         ______________________________________                                         1     V. parahaemolyticus                                                                         33-7        +       +                                         2 V. parahaemolyticus 33-8 + +                                                 3 V. parahaemolyticus 33-10 + +                                                4 V. parahaemolyticus V83 + +                                                  5 V. parahaemolyticus WP-1(y) + +                                              6 V. parahaemolyticus WP-1 + +                                                 7 V. parahaemolyticus 39-11 - +                                                8 V. parahaemolyticus 46-11 - +                                                9 V. parahaemolyticus AQ3301 - +                                               1o V. parahaemolyticus AQ3314 - +                                              11 V. parahaemolyticus AQ3321 - +                                              12 V. parahaemolyticus AQ3326 - +                                              13 V. parahaemolyticus AQ3331 - +                                              14 V. parahaemolyticus AQ3343 - +                                              15 V. parahaemolyticus AQ3345 - +                                              16 V. parahaemolyticus AQ3346 - +                                              17 V. parahaemolyticus AQ3354 - +                                              18 V. parahaemolyticus AQ3360 - +                                              19 V. parahaemolyticus AQ3627 - +                                              20 V. parahaemolyticus AQ3629 - +                                              21 V. parahaemolyticus AQ3633 - +                                              22 V. parahaemolyticus AQ3634 - +                                              23 V. parahaemolyticus BB22 - +                                                24 V. parahaemolyticus ML34 - +                                                25 V. parahaemolyticus ML159 - +                                               26 V. parahaemolyticus ML1017 - +                                              27 V. parahaemolyticus MY67-6 - +                                              28 V. parahaemolyticus MY73-2 - +                                              29 V. parahaemolyticus OK80-480 - +                                            30 V. parahaemolyticus OKA80-214 - +                                           31 V. parahaemolyticus OKA80-232 - +                                           32 V. parahaemolyticus S53 - +                                                 33 V. parahaemolyticus RIMD2210521 - +                                         34 V. parahaemolyticus AR1-01 - +                                              35 V. parahaemolyticus AR3-02 - +                                              36 V. parahaemolyticus AR4-01 - +                                              37 V. parahaemolybcus AR4-02 - +                                               38 V. parahaemolyticus AR6-01 - +                                              39 V. parahaemolyticus AR6-02 - +                                              40 V. parahaemolyticus AR7-01 - +                                              41 V. parahaemolyticus KB1-01 - +                                              42 V. parahaemolyticus KB1-03 - +                                            ______________________________________                                    

For evaluation of the assay systems based on PCR, dilutions of the genomic DNA of Vibrio parahaemolyticus ATCC17802 strain were prepared and used as the template for PCR-based amplification. Even in the dilution containing only 1 ng of the genomic DNA, detection was possible by amplification using the primers VP1 and VP2. For enhancement of the sensitivity from the ng level up to the pg level, DNA after electrophoresis was subjected to the Southern blotting. The dilution of cultivated Vibrio parahaemolyticus ATCC17802 cells was used for amplification with the primer described above, where the detection limit was about 1 cfu/reaction tube. That is, the detection limit based on PCR was 1 cfu/10 μl or 10³ cfu/ml. Detection by plating or by use of a selective agar medium has a sensitivity capable of detecting one liable cell but requires much labor and much time.

The assay methods based on PCR are superior to the conventional detection methods from the viewpoint of the balance among the speed, sensitivity, and specificity which is essential for the method of detection of bacteria, and thus useful.

BEST EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

This invention is explained with Examples in the following. The Examples show the mode of working of the invention, and do not limit the invention at all.

EXAMPLE 1

Conventional method of isolation of Vibrio parahaemolyticus in food

To 25 g of a food specimen, was added the alkaline peptone water [manufactured by Nissui Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.] followed by inoculation with Vibrio parahaemolyticus ATCC17802 and incubation at 37° C. for 18 hours. One loopful amount of the culture was inoculated into the TCBS agar medium by streaking and incubated at 37° C. for 24 hours. All of green colonies were isolated further with the T₁ N₁ agar medium (distilled water containing 1% of Bacto tryptone, 1% of NaCl, and 1.5% of agar). Sufficiently isolated colonies were subjected to biochemical examinations. The strains that showed the following properties were identified as typical Vibrio parahaemolyticus: positive tests for oxidase, lysine decarboxylase, ornithine decarboxylase, gellatinase, lipase, and chitinase; indole producing; viable at the salt concentration of 0.5 to 8% at 42° C. sensitive to O/129 (150 μg); producing acids from glucose, mannitol, and mannose; negative tests for arginine dehydrogenase and arginase; not viable at, salt concentration of 0%; and producing no acid from sucrose, lactose or salicin.

EXAMPLE 2

Isolation of chromosomal DNA

A Vibrio parahaemolyticus strain was cultured by shaking in the TSB medium (manufactured by Eiken Chemical Co., Ltd.) at 37° C. for about 24 hours. Cells were collected by centrifugation (manufactured by Tomy Seiko Co., Ltd.) (15,000 rpm, 15 minutes, 4° C.), and suspended in 10 ml of sterile TE buffer (10 mM Tris, 1 mM EDTA, pH 8.0). Cells were lysed by lysozyme (final concentration 1 mg/ml; manufactured by Wako Pure Chemical Industries, Ltd.), and maintained at 37° C. for 20 minutes while being shaken gently. To the cell lyzate was added SDS (final concentration 0.5%) and the mixture was incubated at 65° C. For degradation of protein and RNA, were added proteinase K (final concentration 500 μg/ml) and RNase (final concentration 5 μg/ml), and the mixture was incubated at 37° C. for 30 minutes and for 60 minutes, respectively. The samples were extracted three times with buffer saturated phenol (GIBCO/BRL), once with phenol: chloroform (1:1) and once with chloroform: isoamylalcohol (24:1). Clear supernatant was obtained by centrifugation of the extract and DNA was precipitated by addition of two volumes of ice-cooled ethanol: 3M sodium acetate (10:1). The reaction mixture was kept overnight at -20° C. The DNA precipitate was concentrated by centrifugation, and ethanol was evaporated off under reduced pressure. The dried DNA was dissolved in the TE buffer, which was used as the DNA template. The purity of DNA was determined by electrophoresis on agarose gel, and the concentration of DNA was determined with the spectrophotometer.

EXAMPLE 3

Assay based on PCR

Preparation of specimens

All cells including also those not used for extraction of DNA were used as the template. Fresh cells grown on agar media were used. Cells grown on liquid media were used after separation of cells by centrifugation followed by washing once with PBS buffer (pH 7.5), and a suitable number of resultant cells were used. In some cases, DNA extracted with phenol-chloroform was used as the template of PCR amplification.

PCR amplification conditions

PCR assay was carried out with a DNA Thermal Cycler (Perkin Elmer Corp.). One hundred microliter of the reaction mixture (Tris-HCL 100 mM, MgCl₂ 15 mM, KCl 500 mM, pH 8.3) contains 100 ng of genomic DNA, 200 μM of dNTPs, and 1 μM of primer. DNA degeneration, annealing, and DNA extension were carried out at 94° C. for 60 seconds, at 60° C. for 60 seconds, and at 72° C. for 120 seconds, respectively, and a total of 30 cycles of amplification were performed. Following amplification, detection was made by gel electrophoresis. Twenty microliter of the sample was subjected to electrophoresis on agarose gel (1% agarose, SeaKem ME, FMC Bioproducts, Rockland, Me.). The DNA band was stained with the ethidium bromide solution for 10 minutes and observed under ultraviolet irradiation.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

A primer which reacts specifically with a gyrB gene of Vibrio parahaemolyticus to thereby differentiate and identify the same among other Vibrios and strains other than the genus Vibrio could be provided.

The Vibrio parahaemolyticus-specific primer serves to detect 285-bp gyrB gene fragments specific for this Vibrio by the PCR method without the necessity for DNA extraction or like operations from bacterial cells.

    __________________________________________________________________________     #             SEQUENCE LISTING                                                    - -  - - <160> NUMBER OF SEQ ID NOS: 6                                         - - <210> SEQ ID NO 1                                                         <211> LENGTH: 1258                                                             <212> TYPE: DNA                                                                <213> ORGANISM: Vibrio parahaemolyticus                                        <220> FEATURE:                                                                 <221> NAME/KEY: gene                                                           <222> LOCATION: (1)..(1258)                                                     - - <400> SEQUENCE: 1                                                          - - gaagtcatca tgaccgttct gcatgccggt ggtaaattcg atgataactc gt -             #acaaagta     60                                                                  - - tcaggcggtc ttcacggcgt gggtgtttcg gtagtaaacg cactgtcaga aa -             #aagtggta    120                                                                  - - ctaaccatcc atcgtggcgg tcatatccac acgcaaactt accgtcatgg tg -             #agcctgaa    180                                                                  - - acgcctctag cggttgtggg tgatgcggat aaaactggta cacaaattcg tt -             #tctggcca    240                                                                  - - agtgcagaaa ctttctctaa cactgaattc cattacgaca tcctagcaaa ac -             #gtctgcgt    300                                                                  - - gagctatcgt tcttgaactc aggcgtttct atcaagctta ttgatgagcg cg -             #aagcggac    360                                                                  - - aagcaagatc acttcatgta tgaaggtggt attcaagcgt tcgttcagca ct -             #taaacacc    420                                                                  - - aacaaaacac caatcatcga gaaaatcttc cacttcgact tagaacgtga ag -             #acggcatt    480                                                                  - - tcggtagaag tggcaatgca gtggaacgat ggtttccaag agaacatctt ct -             #gtttcacc    540                                                                  - - aacaacattc cacagcgcga tggtggtact caccttgctg gtttccgtgc gg -             #caataaca    600                                                                  - - cgtacgctaa acagctttat ggataaagaa ggcttctcga agaaagcgaa aa -             #cggcaacg    660                                                                  - - tcaggcgacg atgcgcgtga aggtttgact gccgttgttt cagtaaaagt gc -             #ctgatcca    720                                                                  - - aaattctcga gccaaacaaa agacaaactg gtttcttctg aagtgaaatc ag -             #cggttgaa    780                                                                  - - tcggcgatgg gtgagaagct atctgagttc ttggtcgaaa acccaagtga ag -             #cgaaaatg    840                                                                  - - gtttgttcga aaatcatcga tgcagcacgt gcacgtgaag ccgcacgtaa ag -             #cgcgtgaa    900                                                                  - - atgactcgtc gtaaaggcgc gctagaccta gcaggcctac caggcaaact tg -             #cagactgt    960                                                                  - - caggaaaaag atccggcact ctctgaacta tacattgtgg agggtgactc tg -             #cgggtggt   1020                                                                  - - tcagctaagc agggtcgtaa tcgtaagaat caggcaatcc taccactgaa ag -             #gtaagatc   1080                                                                  - - ctgaacgtag aaaaagcacg tttcgacaag atgttgtctt cgcaagaagt tg -             #caacgctt   1140                                                                  - - attacagcac ttggctgtgg tatcggtcgt gacgagcaca acccggacaa ac -             #tgcgttac   1200                                                                  - - cacaacatca tcatcatgac cgacgcagac gtagaggctc gcacatccgt ac -             #cctgct     1258                                                                  - -  - - <210> SEQ ID NO 2                                                    <211> LENGTH: 419                                                              <212> TYPE: PRT                                                                <213> ORGANISM: Vibrio parahaemolyticus                                         - - <400> SEQUENCE: 2                                                          - - Glu Val Ile Met Thr Val Leu His Ala Gly Gl - #y Lys Phe Asp Asp         Asn                                                                                1               5 - #                 10 - #                 15              - - Ser Tyr Lys Val Ser Gly Gly Leu His Gly Va - #l Gly Val Ser Val Val                    20     - #             25     - #             30                   - - Asn Ala Leu Ser Glu Lys Val Val Leu Thr Il - #e His Arg Gly Gly His                35         - #         40         - #         45                       - - Ile His Thr Gln Thr Tyr Arg His Gly Glu Pr - #o Glu Thr Pro Leu Ala            50             - #     55             - #     60                           - - Val Val Gly Asp Ala Asp Lys Thr Gly Thr Gl - #n Ile Arg Phe Trp Pro        65                 - # 70                 - # 75                 - # 80        - - Ser Ala Glu Thr Phe Ser Asn Thr Glu Phe Hi - #s Tyr Asp Ile Leu Ala                        85 - #                 90 - #                 95               - - Lys Arg Leu Arg Glu Leu Ser Phe Leu Asn Se - #r Gly Val Ser Ile Lys                   100      - #           105      - #           110                   - - Leu Ile Asp Glu Arg Glu Ala Asp Lys Gln As - #p His Phe Met Tyr Glu               115          - #       120          - #       125                       - - Gly Gly Ile Gln Ala Phe Val Gln His Leu As - #n Thr Asn Lys Thr Pro           130              - #   135              - #   140                           - - Ile Ile Glu Lys Ile Phe His Phe Asp Leu Gl - #u Arg Glu Asp Gly Ile       145                 1 - #50                 1 - #55                 1 -       #60                                                                               - - Ser Val Glu Val Ala Met Gln Trp Asn Asp Gl - #y Phe Gln Glu Asn         Ile                                                                                              165  - #               170  - #               175              - - Phe Cys Phe Thr Asn Asn Ile Pro Gln Arg As - #p Gly Gly Thr His Leu                   180      - #           185      - #           190                   - - Ala Gly Phe Arg Ala Ala Ile Thr Arg Thr Le - #u Asn Ser Phe Met Asp               195          - #       200          - #       205                       - - Lys Glu Gly Phe Ser Lys Lys Ala Lys Thr Al - #a Thr Ser Gly Asp Asp           210              - #   215              - #   220                           - - Ala Arg Glu Gly Leu Thr Ala Val Val Ser Va - #l Lys Val Pro Asp Pro       225                 2 - #30                 2 - #35                 2 -       #40                                                                               - - Lys Phe Ser Ser Gln Thr Lys Asp Lys Leu Va - #l Ser Ser Glu Val         Lys                                                                                              245  - #               250  - #               255              - - Ser Ala Val Glu Ser Ala Met Gly Glu Lys Le - #u Ser Glu Phe Leu Val                   260      - #           265      - #           270                   - - Glu Asn Pro Ser Glu Ala Lys Met Val Cys Se - #r Lys Ile Ile Asp Ala               275          - #       280          - #       285                       - - Ala Arg Ala Arg Glu Ala Ala Arg Lys Ala Ar - #g Glu Met Thr Arg Arg           290              - #   295              - #   300                           - - Lys Gly Ala Leu Asp Leu Ala Gly Leu Pro Gl - #y Lys Leu Ala Asp Cys       305                 3 - #10                 3 - #15                 3 -       #20                                                                               - - Gln Glu Lys Asp Pro Ala Leu Ser Glu Leu Ty - #r Ile Val Glu Gly         Asp                                                                                              325  - #               330  - #               335              - - Ser Ala Gly Gly Ser Ala Lys Gln Gly Arg As - #n Arg Lys Asn Gln Ala                   340      - #           345      - #           350                   - - Ile Leu Pro Leu Lys Gly Lys Ile Leu Asn Va - #l Glu Lys Ala Arg Phe               355          - #       360          - #       365                       - - Asp Lys Met Leu Ser Ser Gln Glu Val Ala Th - #r Leu Ile Thr Ala Leu           370              - #   375              - #   380                           - - Gly Cys Gly Ile Gly Arg Asp Glu His Asn Pr - #o Asp Lys Leu Arg Tyr       385                 3 - #90                 3 - #95                 4 -       #00                                                                               - - His Asn Ile Ile Ile Met Thr Asp Ala Asp Va - #l Glu Ala Arg Thr         Ser                                                                                              405  - #               410  - #               415              - - Val Pro Cys                                                                - -  - - <210> SEQ ID NO 3                                                    <211> LENGTH: 1258                                                             <212> TYPE: DNA                                                                <213> ORGANISM: Vibrio parahaemolyticus                                        <220> FEATURE:                                                                 <221> NAME/KEY: gene                                                           <222> LOCATION: (1)..(1258)                                                     - - <400> SEQUENCE: 3                                                          - - gaagtcatca tgaccgttct gcatgcaggt ggtaaattcg acgataacac aa -              #acaaatta     60                                                                  - - tcgggtggtc tccacggggt acgtgtctca gtaataaacg cactatcaga ga -             #aagttgag    120                                                                  - - ctaacgattc atcgtggtgg ccatatccat acgcaaacct accgccatgg tg -             #agcctgca    180                                                                  - - acgccactag ccgttgtggg tgatacggat aaaaccggta cacaaattcg tt -             #tctggcca    240                                                                  - - agtgccgaga cgttctctaa cactgagttc cactatgaca ttctggcgaa ac -             #gcctgcgt    300                                                                  - - gaactgtcat tcctgaactc tggtgtgtcg atcaaattgg ttgatgaacg tg -             #aagcggac    360                                                                  - - aaacatgatc acttcatgta tgaaggtggt attcaagcgt tcgttgatca cc -             #taaacacc    420                                                                  - - aacaaaacgc caatcatcga gagggtcttc cactttaact ctgagcgtga ag -             #acggcatt    480                                                                  - - tcagttgaag tggcgatgca atggaacgat ggtttccaag agaacatctt ct -             #gctttacc    540                                                                  - - aacaatatcc cacagcgtga tggtggtact caccttgctg gtttccgtgc tg -             #cgctaaca    600                                                                  - - cgtacattga acagctttat ggataaagaa ggtttctcga agaaagcgaa aa -             #cagcgact    660                                                                  - - tcaggcgacg atgcgcgtga aggtctaact gcggttgttt cggtgaaagt gc -             #ctgatcct    720                                                                  - - aagttctcaa gccaaacaaa agacaaactg gtttcttctg aagtgaaatc ag -             #ctgttgag    780                                                                  - - tctgcaatgg gtgaaaaact gtctgagttc ttgattgaga acccgacaga ag -             #cgaagatg    840                                                                  - - gtttgttcga aaatcatcaa tgcagcacgt gcatctgaag cagcgcctaa ag -             #ctcgtgaa    900                                                                  - - atgacgcgcc gtaaaggtgc actagaccta gcaggccttc caggtaaagt tg -             #cagactgt    960                                                                  - - caggaaaaag atccggcact ctttgaacta tacatagtgg agggtgaatc gg -             #caggcggt   1020                                                                  - - tccgcaaaac aaggccgtaa ccgtaagaac caagcgatca caccgctaaa ag -             #gtaagatt   1080                                                                  - - cttaacgtag aaaaagcacg tttcgacaag atgctatctt ctctagaagt ag -             #taacactg   1140                                                                  - - atcaccgcat taggttgtgg tatcggtcgt gacgaggaca acccggacaa gc -             #ctcgggac   1200                                                                  - - cacaacataa tcatcatgac cgacgcagac gtagaggctc gcacatccgt ac -             #cctgct     1258                                                                  - -  - - <210> SEQ ID NO 4                                                    <211> LENGTH: 419                                                              <212> TYPE: PRT                                                                <213> ORGANISM: Vibrio parahaemolyticus                                         - - <400> SEQUENCE: 4                                                          - - Glu Val Ile Met Thr Val Leu His Ala Gly Gl - #y Lys Phe Asp Asp         Asn                                                                                1               5 - #                 10 - #                 15              - - Thr Asn Lys Leu Ser Gly Gly Leu His Gly Va - #l Arg Val Ser Val Ile                    20     - #             25     - #             30                   - - Asn Ala Leu Ser Glu Lys Val Glu Leu Thr Il - #e His Arg Gly Gly His                35         - #         40         - #         45                       - - Ile His Thr Gln Thr Tyr Arg His Gly Glu Pr - #o Ala Thr Pro Leu Ala            50             - #     55             - #     60                           - - Val Val Gly Asp Thr Asp Lys Thr Gly Thr Gl - #n Ile Arg Phe Trp Pro        65                 - # 70                 - # 75                 - # 80        - - Ser Ala Glu Thr Phe Ser Asn Thr Glu Phe Hi - #s Tyr Asp Ile Leu Ala                        85 - #                 90 - #                 95               - - Lys Arg Leu Arg Glu Leu Ser Phe Leu Asn Se - #r Gly Val Ser Ile Lys                   100      - #           105      - #           110                   - - Leu Val Asp Glu Arg Glu Ala Asp Lys His As - #p His Phe Met Tyr Glu               115          - #       120          - #       125                       - - Gly Gly Ile Gln Ala Phe Val Asp His Leu As - #n Thr Asn Lys Thr Pro           130              - #   135              - #   140                           - - Ile Ile Glu Arg Val Phe His Phe Asn Ser Gl - #u Arg Glu Asp Gly Ile       145                 1 - #50                 1 - #55                 1 -       #60                                                                               - - Ser Val Glu Val Ala Met Gln Trp Asn Asp Gl - #y Phe Gln Glu Asn         Ile                                                                                              165  - #               170  - #               175              - - Phe Cys Phe Thr Asn Asn Ile Pro Gln Arg As - #p Gly Gly Thr His Leu                   180      - #           185      - #           190                   - - Ala Gly Phe Arg Ala Ala Leu Thr Arg Thr Le - #u Asn Ser Phe Met Asp               195          - #       200          - #       205                       - - Lys Glu Gly Phe Ser Lys Lys Ala Lys Thr Al - #a Thr Ser Gly Asp Asp           210              - #   215              - #   220                           - - Ala Arg Glu Gly Leu Thr Ala Val Val Ser Va - #l Lys Val Pro Asp Pro       225                 2 - #30                 2 - #35                 2 -       #40                                                                               - - Lys Phe Ser Ser Gln Thr Lys Asp Lys Leu Va - #l Ser Ser Glu Val         Lys                                                                                              245  - #               250  - #               255              - - Ser Ala Val Glu Ser Ala Met Gly Glu Lys Le - #u Ser Glu Phe Leu Ile                   260      - #           265      - #           270                   - - Glu Asn Pro Thr Glu Ala Lys Met Val Cys Se - #r Lys Ile Ile Asn Ala               275          - #       280          - #       285                       - - Ala Arg Ala Ser Glu Ala Ala Pro Lys Ala Ar - #g Glu Met Thr Arg Arg           290              - #   295              - #   300                           - - Lys Gly Ala Leu Asp Leu Ala Gly Leu Pro Gl - #y Lys Val Ala Asp Cys       305                 3 - #10                 3 - #15                 3 -       #20                                                                               - - Gln Glu Lys Asp Pro Ala Leu Phe Glu Leu Ty - #r Ile Val Glu Gly         Glu                                                                                              325  - #               330  - #               335              - - Ser Ala Gly Gly Ser Ala Lys Gln Gly Arg As - #n Arg Lys Asn Gln Ala                   340      - #           345      - #           350                   - - Ile Thr Pro Leu Lys Gly Lys Ile Leu Asn Va - #l Glu Lys Ala Arg Phe               355          - #       360          - #       365                       - - Asp Lys Met Leu Ser Ser Leu Glu Val Val Th - #r Leu Ile Thr Ala Leu           370              - #   375              - #   380                           - - Gly Cys Gly Ile Gly Arg Asp Glu Asp Asn Pr - #o Asp Lys Pro Arg Asp       385                 3 - #90                 3 - #95                 4 -       #00                                                                               - - His Asn Ile Ile Ile Met Thr Asp Ala Asp Va - #l Glu Ala Arg Thr         Ser                                                                                              405  - #               410  - #               415              - - Val Pro Cys                                                                - -  - - <210> SEQ ID NO 5                                                    <211> LENGTH: 21                                                               <212> TYPE: DNA                                                                <213> ORGANISM: Vibrio parahaemolyticus                                         - - <400> SEQUENCE: 5                                                          - - cggcgtgggt gtttcggtag t           - #                  - #                       - #21                                                                    - -  - - <210> SEQ ID NO 6                                                    <211> LENGTH: 21                                                               <212> TYPE: DNA                                                                <213> ORGANISM: Vibrio parahaemolyticus                                         - - <400> SEQUENCE: 6                                                          - - tccgcttcgc gctcatcaat a           - #                  - #                       - #21                                                                  __________________________________________________________________________ 

What is claimed is:
 1. An oligonucleotide comprising a nucleotide sequence which specifically hybridizes to and specifically amplifies the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:
 1. 2. The oligonucleotide of claim 1, wherein said nucleotide sequence of said oligonucleotide does not hybridize to and amplify the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:3.
 3. A method of detecting Vibrio parahaemolyticus in a specimen, comprising(a) preparing a primer set comprising a first oligonucleotide and a second oligonucleotide according to any one of claims 1 or 2, (b) amplifying a DNA gyrase subunit B gene sequence contained in the specimen using said primer set of step (a), and (c) detecting amplification products produced in step (b), wherein the presence of said amplification products is indicative of the presence of Vibrio parahaemolyticus in the specimen.
 4. An oligonucleotide comprising SEQ ID NO:5 or SEQ ID NO:6.
 5. The oligonucleotide of claim 4, consisting of SEQ ID NO:5 or SEQ ID NO:6.
 6. A method of detecting Vibrio parahaemolyticus in a specimen, comprising(a) preparing a primer set comprising a first oligonucleotide comprising SEQ ID NO:5 or consisting of SEQ ID NO:5 and a second oligonucleotide comprising SEQ ID NO:6 or consisting of SEQ ID NO:6, (b) amplifying a DNA gyrase subunit B gene sequence contained in the specimen using the primer set of step (a), and (c) detecting amplification products produced in step (b), wherein the presence of said amplification products is indicative of the presence of Vibrio parahaemolyticus in the specimen. 